Bitcoin business in France: Regulation, education and cash buy frustration
Jimmy Chambrade and Aurore Galves Orjol, co-founders of Bitcoin-lyon, first heard about Bitcoin (BTC) in 2014. Around that time, their close friend and now business partner, Bruce, mined Bitcoin using his laptop. However, it took three years and a face-melting bull run before the pair could set aside the time to engage with the technology.
Fast forward to 2017, and Chambrade and Galves Orjol had just returned from an around-the-world trip. Although ready to return to the world of work, they would rather avoid the traditional “nine-to-five” fiat lifestyle, or the “métro, boulot, dodo” (subway, work, sleep) routine as it’s known in France.
They began investigating Bitcoin and the cryptocurrency space, attending crypto meetups and testing out the tech. Their research and curiosity led to the creation of Crypto Lyon. As their first foray into the world of crypto, Crypto Lyon is a catch-all community for crypto enthusiasts in France’s third-most populous city.
On a deeper level, though, something about Bitcoin twigged during their encounters with fellow crypto enthusiasts — the pair was hooked. It could have been the philosophy behind Bitcoin, but the privacy, self-sovereignty and pseudonymous elements were also compelling, particularly for Chambrade. Either way, it soon became clear that working in Bitcoin was a fait accompli.
Galves Orjol noted that before committing to Bitcoin:
They met and engaged with a host of crypto-curious and crypto-obsessed individuals in France before opening the bureau for Bitcoin-lyon in 2019.
Initially, Bitcoin-lyon was a space for customers in Lyon to buy over-the-counter Bitcoin. However, “being profitable purely through the sale of Bitcoin on margin was tricky. Competing with the likes of
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